Sweating to the Oldies

I know. That image of Richard Simmons with frizzy hair and gym shorts is embedded in your mind.

Let me help you get rid of that image. Think of Disney World. Now think of "It's a Small World".

Now you have Richard Simmons dancing to It's a Small World.

Loverly.

But on a serious note . . .

When was the last time you exercised? You can't count jumping to conclusions, passing the buck or touching base.

Real exercise, like walking, running, swimming or playing sports.

Checkers is not a sport.

Neither is reading the Sports Illustrated swim suit issue.

“The single thing that comes close to a magic bullet, in terms of its strong and universal benefits, is exercise,” Frank Hu, epidemiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health, said in the Harvard Magazine.

A magic bullet.

Isn't that what our society wants?

Make it quick, make it painless, make it cheap.

Bam!

I have written often about the protective roles of exercise. It can lower the risk of heart attack, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, depression, dementia, osteoporosis, gallstones, diverticulitis, falls, erectile dysfunction, peripheral vascular disease and 12 kinds of cancer.

Surely there is something on that list that either worries you or you already have. Studies have shown time and again how weight loss can REVERSE the effects of type II diabetes, HTN and high cholesterol.

And guys, you might be able to get rid of that little blue pill . . .

Aerobic exercise lowers blood pressure in people with hypertension, and it improves peripheral circulation in people who develop cramping leg pains when they walk — a condition called intermittent claudication. The treatment for it, in fact, is to walk a little farther each day.

Walking is inexpensive, available to almost everyone, and you don't need fancy clothing.

So if it makes you feel better, forget about Richard Simmons sweating to It's a Small World . . .